Costs relating to BiFab: FOI Review

Information requested

"Does the Grant Thornton Supply Chain Commercial Advice of £971k (since corrected to £1,238,316) all relate to BiFab? If it doesn’t, how much relates to BiFab and what is the remainder?"

Response

Further to my letter of 30 March 2022 I have now completed my review of our response to your request under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA) for "does the Grant Thornton Supply Chain Commercial Advice of £971k (since corrected to £1,238,316) all relate to BiFab? If it doesn’t, how much relates to BiFab and what is the remainder?"

I have concluded that a different decision should be substituted. The original decision advised you we did not hold the information, with an explanation stating that “although much of the expenditure was in relation to BiFab, other aspects of the work were in support of wider financial and commercial supply chain advisory services.” Following further searches and consideration I am satisfied that although some of the advice provided, or analysis undertaken, by Grant Thornton does relate to wider financial and supply chain advice, the reason for its procurement in the first instance relates to the Scottish Government’s interest in BiFab and the necessary due diligence associated with its shareholding. I apologise that this was not conveyed in the first response to you.

The answer to your question is that all of the £1,238,316 paid to Grant Thornton (as previously set out to you below) relates to BiFab.

	2016-17	2017-18	2018-19	2019-20	2020-21	Total
Grant Thornton	-	£50,875	£431,879	£437,971	£400,242	£1,320,967
Supply Chain Commercial Advice	-	£50,875	£349,228	£437,971	£400,242	£1,238,316
Spark Energy	-	-	£82,651	-	-	£82,651

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at http://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.